Portable building construction



March 18, 1958 R JR 2,827,138

PORTABLE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed March 1, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 8INVE TOR ATTORNEYS March 18, 1958 R. ROY, JR 2,827,138

PORTABLE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed March 1. 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 56 HM H ,lllm

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INVEN TOR P055197 FO); JP.

BY %4K 7% ATTORNEYS March 18, 1958 R JR 2,827,138

PORTABLE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed March 1. 1954 4 Shams-Sheet 3 1 1 iINVENTOR FOEEW F0), .11?

BY /ZZV A TTORN E Y- March 18, 1958 R. ROY, JR 2,327,138

PORTABLE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed March 1, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR AOBE/PT 'PO zJ/P W ATTORNEYS z,s27,1ss

PORTABLE nonsense. coNsrnrJcrioN Robert Roy, n, Bradford, Pa, assignorof one-third to Virginia Burdiclr Roy and one-third to Rona Roy Lynch,Bradford, Pa.

Application March 1, 1954, Serial No. 413,16ll

22 Claims. (Cl. 189--4) This invention relates to buildings and moreparticularly to a novel greenhouse, tent, or analogous structurecomprising a plurality of elemental units which may be quickly assembledto form a sturdy, clepsable housing.

Buildings of the same general class as the present invention suffer froma plurality of deficiencies which detract from their desirability andutility. Among these shortcomings are (a) complicated and expensive assenbly requiring skilled workmen; (b) laca' of structural stability; (0)lack of weather-tightness or of adequate insulation against theelements; (d) lack of adaptability or versatility. The present inventionovercomes these and other deficiencies of the prior art.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a uniquebuilding.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel structure whichmay be employed as a greenhouse, tent, or shed.

A further object is to provide budding which may be constructed insections, thereby affording a housing which may assume a plurality ofsizes and yet employ standard materials.

An additional object is to provide a greenhouse or the like which iseconomical yet dependable.

A more specific object is to provide a building comprising a pluralityof bays, each including skeletal elements and suitable coverings.

Yet another object is to provide novel frame and skin tensioning means.

Another object is to provide a means for tensioning a flexible coveringin several directions simultaneously.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a building havinga plurality of spaced flexible walls.

Briefly, a building constructed according to the inven tion includes aplurality of bow frame elements arranged in spaced vertical planes andsupporting one or more coverings or skins. The bows may be mounted on asuitable masonry foundation. The covering material may be applied insections which, together with adjacent bows, form successive bays. Thebows are channeled to receive cables to which the skin is attached andby which it may be tensioned. End closures of the same covering materialmay be provided.

The objects will become more apparent in the following detaileddescription of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanyingrawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention andwherein:

'Fig. l is a perspective, somewhat diagrammatic view of the building inpartial assembly against a wall of an existing structure;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of an end closure for the building of Fig.1;

ice

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional detail of the inner and outer bow frameelements taken along line 66 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional detail of the bow frame elements andassociated structure taken along line 77 of Fig. 1 and also illustratingone manner of mounting the coverings;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional detail taken along line 8-8 of Fig. 1and also illustrating one manner of tensioning the coverings;

Fl 8a is a view illustrating a modification of certain elements of Fig.8;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail showing one manner of attaching thecovering or skin to the tensioning cables;

Fig. 10 is another modification of the detail of Fig. 8, taken alongline 1010 in Fig. 11;

Fig. 11 is a front elcvational view of the detail of Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a sectional detail taken along line l212 of Fig. 11 andillustrating the duplication of successive bays;

Fig. 13 is an enlarged sectional detail of an alternative bow frameelement with means for mounting a plurality of spaced coverings, thecoverings being illustrated in phantom; and

Fig. 14 is an elevational view of the detail of Fig. 13.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the invention comprises a plurality of howframe elements 1t? composed of metal, plastic, wood or the like andmounted in spaced vertical planes on a masonry foundation ii. to form aframework or skeleton. The ends of the bows may be secured to a pair ofchanneled sills 17, which also may be composed of metal or wood. Thebuilding has been illusrated as erected against an existing structure13, although this arrangement is entirely optional. Bows ill may beassembled from several sections provided with suitable joints, such asthe lap joints shown at 14. The sections may be secured together andspaced by a plurality of cross bars 15, which are threaded and providedwith a pair of nuts 16 at each end to embrace the opposite sides of eachbow (see Fig. 7).

Each of bows 10 has a channeled outer circumference formed by a pair ofsloping side walls 18 and a bottom surface 19, as better seen in Fig. 7.The skin or covering 20 may be composed of flexible transparent plastic,cloth, canvas, or similar material and may be secured to the outercircumference of the bows by a plurality of cables, wires, or ropes 21.The choice of covering material will of course depend on the function ofthe building. If a greenhouse, transparent or translucent material willnaturally be employed, while if the building is to be a tent or shed,opaque material may be employed at least in part. The thickness, weightand type of material may vary with the local weather conditions.

Covering material 2d may be attached to the tensioning cables bywrapping the material around the cable and adhesively joining theoverlapped material as indicated at 22 in Fig. 9. The edges of thematerial may be strengthened by the addition of reinforcing members 23.The exact manner of attachment is of course subject to innumerablevariations. The covering material, which may be chosen from standardsupplies, is arranged in sections or bays, with each bay having a pairof tensioning cables attached to its circumferential edges. The cablesmay be pulled taut by suitable tensioning means such as the springs 24and 24a of Figs. 8 and 8a, respectively, or by other means, such asweights. As shown, the springs may be attached inside the sills 17, 17::either in compression or tension.

By referring to Fig. 7 it is seen that as the cables are pulled taut,they move more deeply into the channeled fling screws for successivebows into ho hows. toward bottom surfaces 19, and at the same time movelaterally toward the central plane of the bows as a result of theinclination of the side walls 18. In this i manner the covering for eachbay is stretchedalongthe lengthof the building. The provision of thechanneled bows, cables, and cabletensioning device is particularlyeffective to stretch the covering longitudinally of the building -to-theproper degree. In order to stretch the skin circumferentially of thebuilding,rthe lower extremities of the-material may be attached toweights 26, which may be provided for each bay or which may run theentire length of sills =17; Alternatively, springsmay be used inplace ofthe weights 26. 'Thus the coverin is pulled taut over the bows bothlongitudinally and circumferentia-lly. I

As shown in Figs. 8 and 8a weights 26'm'ay 'be pro vided with Weatherstrips-2'5,"25o, respectively, of 'suitable flexible material, which runtheiength of the sills and prevent the passage of ,airyunderthe loweredges of the covering it will he noted that the sill 17a of Fig.

, 8a'is shallower than that of Fig.28. This allows the ends of cables 21to enter thesills without boring the latter; It will also be noted inFig. '8 that 'the sill 17'is provided with a pin 27 which enters a hole28 in the end of a bow 1t Theprovision of a pin and cooperating hole foreach bow allows accurate location of the-bows and at the same timeprevents late'ral movement. V In Figs. 10 and 11 a slightly differentsill is employed.

Here the sill 17 is made of woodand is solid exceptfor recesses 29,which may behored in the sill to receive the ends of cables 21. Asdescribedin connection with Fig. 8, the ends of the cables pass throughthe sill and are provided with suitable tensioning devices 24. It willbe noted that the channeled bows are provided with coextensive coverstrips (see Fig. 12) which may be, attached to the-b'ows'by a pluralityof self-tapping screws,

as indicated by screws 31; The cover stripsprotect the. bows and thecable-covering joints frorn'the weather and maybe employed in any oftheembodiments illustrated. Whilefonly a single slgin'has been described sofar, it will be appreciated that a plurality of spaced skins maybeprovided, the air layers ltherebetwcen serving as insulation for thehousing. The.additional coverings may be supported in many ways. .'-InFig. 7, a plurality of augriliary bows 132 are employed. These bows maybe constituted by metal strips: having a. trough-like cross section withsloping sides diverging from a bottom -sur.- a h xi i y bio smay beattached to the outer bows by self-tapping screws It, as indicated inFig.

7 rnore than one additionalcovering is.-provided, the bows may D -nes eas sho n byt a ng t mcun llow 'mounting screws for the preceding bows,

The ad ditional coverings 34 may-be drawn taut over the auxiliary bowsby cables. 35, which may be tensioned by springs 36 at their ends {seeFig. 8). Anangle bracket a V 37 may be mounted on thesill 17 to receivethe cables and tensioning means." The 'coveringmaterial may be securedto the cables as described previously with respect :to the outer skin,and may bedrawn taut circumferentially. of the building. by weights381(see Figs} Hand 80) secured to theends of the material, V

ln the modification shown 'in .F ig. l0, a 'plura'lity of spring biasedrcllers3 mounted n'bracketssor eeive by bolts an'd nuts,-as indicated at44, 45,and by spacer blocks 46, 47, 48. It is clear that the spacerblocks may i be formed integrally with the bows and that they need beprovided only at intervals along the length of the bows. The bows may beprovided with shirt portions 49 to in crease their rigidity. Coveringmaterial and cables have 7 been shown in phantom and may be mounted asdescribed previously. 7

End closures for thebuilding according to the invention may beconstructed as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In Fig. 2 an inner bow 50 ismounted in the end planeof the building, and sector panels 51 or"covering ma? terial are drawn tight between the inner and outer end bows by cables. The inner .bow may be provided with cables 52 which aretensioned as described above. As

shown in Fig. 6, a plurality of, end coverings may be employed. Bow 50is grooved to receive a cable for The outer end covering may be,

each covering layer. secured to end bow 10, while the inner covering.may be secured to an extra auxiliary how 32 provided for that purpose.I

Panels 51 may be joined, as byadhesive, to form a continuousendcovering- The lower-most panels maybe provided with weights 53 attheir lower edges; which may beireceived within grooved sills '54secured to the.

foundation 11, as by screws 55 (see Fig. '5). Weights 53 aid intightening the end closure fabric. The s'ills 54 'and end bow 50 may beprovided with drainage orifices 56'to'ca'rry ofi' rain water. The endclosure may be provided with a door frame 57. a

A modified end closure is shown in Fig 3. 7 Here,-;' vertical panels 58are employed. These panels may be secured to end how 10 by cables,,aspreviously described, The panels may be or by any other suitable means.adhesively joined to adjacent panels, 'or a plurality of verticalreinforcing elements, such' as dowels, may be provided betweenadjacentpanels, and the material may be attached thereto, as by rings.frame .59 may bejemployecl, andthat'part of the frame which is abovethefoundation 11' may be grooved as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 to receive theedges of the cover- 5 ing material. (Fig. 5 is an accurate section alongline t of Fig. '3 except for elements 11 and 55.) Weights maybe attachedto the panels 58 in the sills 54 and in 7 the top of the door frame, 0ralternatively, the lower f edges of the panels 58 may be attached to abent rod within the grooves of the sills and the door frame. 7 Z 7 Itshould be notdthat the modified'bows of Fig; 13 also are arranged toreceive end panels; A pair of end coverings and. associated cablesi'hasbeen indicated in phantom at the right of Fig. 13. Optionally, the'right" portion of the center bow may be removed, where, as

shown, only two end coverings are employed. The right portion of, thelower bow has beenshortened to allow spacing of the end surfaces; Itwill'also beappreciated J that solid end closures may be employedinplace of any of the flexible closures described, and' thatlouvred endwalls or the like maybe provided for controlled ventilation.

From "the. above description, it is evident that the in vention providesabuilding of great versatilityand adapt ability, yet a building whichcan be erected from standardized parts by a personwith nospecializedtraining and at a minimum cost. The use'of the skin jtensionjng 1devices allows eigpansion and contraction of the covering material withchanges in weather conditions', but m aintains atautsurface at alltimes. plurality 'of covering ilayersprovides the necessary in} sulationlf desired,*ventilation openings maybe pro-ff 1 vided to allowcontrolledcirculation of airg Although the'building' hasbeenshownashavinga generally cylin-j 4 drical contour, any suitableconfiguration, such, as; a

gabled shape, maybe'employedp I i While preferred forms of theinventionhave been 7 7 shown and described, it will be evident to.those, skilled 1 ind e ,art 'that such embodiments may. be modifi' d inA rectangular door I The usefof a many ways without departing from theessential concepts of the invention. The embodiments shown and describedare to be considered as illustrative rather than restrictive, and thescope of the invention is to be determined by a liberal interpretationof the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a building construction, at least a pair of spaced substantiallyparallel elongated frame elements, said elements each having acorresponding longitudinal channel, a cable member in each saidchannels, a covering surface having a pair of opposite edges attachedrespectively to said cable members, means for placing said cable membersunder tension, and means responsive to the tensioning of said cablemembers for applying a tensile force to said covering surfacetransversely of said frame elements, the channel of each of the elementsof said pair having its side wall nearest the other element slopingtoward the central portion of said covering surface between saidelements, and said cable members being supported against said walls,respectively, intermediate the wall extremities at the bottom and thetop of said channels, respectively, whereby said cable members may movealong said walls between said extremities in response to changes incable tension.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein said frame elements are arcuate.

3. The invention of claim 1, wherein said covering surface issubstantially rectangular, the remaining pair of opposite edges havingmeans for applying a tensile force therebetween.

4. In a building construction, a first pair of substantially parallelelongated channel members defining an outer surface, a second pair ofsubstantially parallel elongated channel members defining an innersurface, said surfaces being substantially parallel, an elongatedflexible element in each channel member, a covering sheet for each pairof channel members, connected at opposite extremities to one of saidflexible elements, said sheets conforming to said defined surfaces, andmeans for applying a tensile force between opposite ends of saidflexible elements.

5. The invention of claim 4, one channel member of each pair beinglocated adjacent a corresponding member of the other pair, and means forconnecting said corresponding members.

6. The invention of claim 5, wherein the channel members of one of saidpairs are substantially rigid bars, the channel members of the otherpair being relatively flexible strips.

7. The invention of claim 5, wherein said channel members are strips,and said connecting means include spacer blocks.

8. The invention of claim 4, wherein said channel members with referenceto said outer and inner surfaces have inwardly converging side walls,and wherein said flexible elements lie against and intermediate theinner and outer extremities of said side walls, whereby a tensile forceis applied to said sheets between said channel members as said flexibleelements are tensioned as aforesaid; and further including means forapplying a tensile force to said sheets orthogonal to said firstmentioned force.

9. The invention of claim 8, wherein said last mentioned means includesa spring biased roller element.

10. The invention of claim 4, further comprising means for urging theflexible elements connected to the opposite extremities of each sheetaway from each other as said tensile force is applied between theopposite ends of said flexible elements.

11. The invention of claim 4, further comprising means for convertingpart of the tensile forces applied between opposite ends of saidflexible elements into transverse forces for tensioning the coveringsheets between said channel members.

12. In combination, a pair of spaced foundation walls, a pair of sillson said walls, a pair of spaced outwardly G bowed elongated framemembers having ends attached respectively to said sills, each of saidframe members having a longitudinal groove therein, a cable in each saidgrooves, a covering surface attached to and stretched between saidcables, means for tensioning said cables with respect to said sills, andmeans responsive to the tensioning of said cables for applying a tensileforce to said covering surface transversely of said frame members, thegroove of each of the members of said pair having its side wall nearestthe other member sloping toward the central portion of said coveringsurface between said members and said cables being supported againstsaid Walls, respectively, intermediate the wall extremities at thebottom and the top of said grooves, respectively, whereby said cablesmay move along said walls between said extremities in response tochanges in cable tension.

13. The invention of claim 12, further including means for tensioningsaid covering surface between said sills.

14. An end closure for a building, comprising an upper elongated frameelement, a lower elongated frame element located in substantially thesame plane as said first element, a sheet of flexible material, meansfor stretching said material between said elements, the lastmentionedmeans including a cable attached to one edge of said sheet, means forapplying a tensile force between the opposite ends of said cable, andmeans for converting part of said force to a force transverse to saidedge, said frame elements being outwardly bowed and each having alongitudinal groove, and said stretching means including a cable in eachof said grooves and means for tensioning said cables.

15. The invention of claim 14, further including weights attached to thelower edges of said material.

16. An end closure for a building, comprising an upper elongated frameelement, a lower elongated frame element located in substantially thesame plane as said first element, a sheet of flexible material, meansfor stretching said material between said elements, the lastmentionedmeans including a cable attached to one edge of said sheet, means forapplying a tensile force between the opposite ends of said cable, andmeans for converting part of said force to a force transverse to saidedge, said material being divided into a plurality of vertical panels,and said stretching means comprising weights attached to the lower edgeof said panels, the lower frame element being a sill having alongitudinal groove in which said weights are located.

17. In a building construction, a plurality of substantially parallelsets of elongated frame elements, the elements of each set beingarranged in spaced superposed relationship, a plurality of flexiblecovering surfaces, and means for suspending said surfaces in adjacentrelationship and for stretching the same laterally between correspondingelements of said sets.

18. In a building construction, at least a pair of spaced frameelements, a flexible covering sheet mounted between and over saidelements and having a pair of opposite edges associated, respectively,with said elements, a pair of elongated flexible members lying along andattached to said edges, respectively, means for applying a tensile forcebetween the opposite ends of said members, and means responsive to thetensioning of said members for applying a tensile force to said sheetbetween said edges to stretch it between said elements, each of theframe elements of said pair having a longitudinal wall over one lateralextremity of which said covering sheet is drawn taut, said walls slopingtoward the central portion of said sheet between said elements, and saidflexible members resting on said walls, respectively, intermediate thelateral extremities of the respective walls, whereby said flexiblemembers may move along said walls between said lateral extremities asthe tension in said members varies.

19. The construction of claim 18, further comprising a mller massed t aeiise y cf the time ie enle tssnear 'Qne endrthereof n on h c said h etm y he qnnd- 21. In a building construction, first, second, and third;

elongated frame elements spaced in succession, a sheetlike coveringextending between the first and second elementsya separate andindependent sheet-like covering extending between the iseconcl and thirdelements, each said coverings having opposite edges lying along theassociated frame elements, a separate elongated flexible or m mber yingalong and ta d o a h sa-i e e specti ly, m ans or pp yi a ten le f cbetween the pp si nds f ch said m b rs, e p ct y, means =responsive to'tlie'tensioning-of said members for applying :a tensile force to theattached coveging trans verselyof the associated flame elements, andmeans for applyi ensi .fcrce t ch covering lon h l n Qf the associatedframeelen ents. V V

r, imdisidua ly- 38' s 9f claim 21, wherein :th lastre sely Refei'encesCited in the file of this pate nt- Scientific American, March 20, 1915,vol. CXI-I, No. 12

page 271.

.' UNITED STATES *S'urb'er '-V--'----V---s-- Au 28 s Zimmern -s Ang. 1,1939 .Waterma'n'et al. :N o v; 28, 1944 1 Collins Sept. '6, 1955 FOREIGNPATENTS V G reatVBritein June '10, 1920' ''OTHER REFERENCES v he

